My husband's grandmother would like to buy a quilt from me. I already have the quilt top, just need to layer and quilt. I'll have to hand quilt it because of its size (about 98" square).

My question: What to charge??? Is there some "formula" that you use when pricing? My mom said, "The amount of supplies x 3". I would have paid about $200 in 'stuff' if it wasn't for the fact it was on sale. Is this going to be worth $600 when it's done? I'm planning on wreaths, grid, and 1/4" inside the diamonds.

What do you think? This is my first time around, and I don't want to cheat myself and give it away, or over-charge...

Here's the picture...

Hubby's grandmother? It would make a wonderful Christmas present from the both of you.

The Marketing side of my brain says:
Cost of materials x 3 - retail
Cost of materials x 2 - wholesale

The Family side of my brain says:
-Christmas gift
-Birthday gift
-Sell it to her at cost, IF she really wants to buy it from you. I remember my friend's grandmother paying him $25 to reset the clock on her VCR...not a huge task, but she wanted to give him money. (Families are weird!) :)

That's a stunning quilt, well done!

I do like the idea of a christmas present, but then it's a pretty "big" present.

We have the "x3" thing here too.... as a general rule it's one third for materials, one third for labour, and one third for profit. The sad fact is for hand made crafts it usually puts the final price out of reach for people, it just ends up too high.
For a family member or close friend I would also discount the price, we call it "mate's rates". :-)

I am sorry I tend to agree with everyone else. That quilt would mean so much to her as a gift. And hubby would be so proud of you.

I'm with you. I don't think you can charge Grandma for anything other than supplies. And only for supplies if buying them is a hardship to you.

That being said for a non-family member charge them BIG! Quilting is hard work and a skill that deserves to be paid for.

I am with every one on the price
that being said do you have the directions for it ? it is so beautiful

Since I sell my quilt items, everyone is right about he 3x's the cost. And it will be handquilted, that makes it worth more to me. But I would also think of part of it as a gift. I've did that with alot of my relatives when they want me to make them something and still want to pay me something.

i wouldn't charge my husband's grandmother anything for the quilt.

in my eyes its a thank you gift for the wonderful grandson i'm married to.

Does hubby's grandma have lots of money she's trying to give to him (via you?) Otherwise, it would really be a nice, thoughtful qift.... :D

If you need the money, then I would just charge about what you have in it. But be sure and tell her she's getting "family" or "senior" rates so that everyone in the family as well as their friends won't expect you to make them one for free....

Its a beatiful quilt . I would have a hard time charging grandma anything . Maybe "borrow" it to her with the undertanding that later it be returned to you . And then you would have great memories and a wonderful memento for your husband from his Grandma. Something he would always be able remember Grandma by. That is priceless. Just my 2 cents

Do you LIKE/LOVE husband's grandmother?

Has she been nice to you and your husband?

Did she OFFER to pay you?

Cost of materials is definitely fair - when it comes to relatives, it gets sticky.

She probably doesn't even have an idea of how much things are costing now-a-days.

Maybe talk it over with her?

Yep...I would make it a "freebie" for Gran, or if she really is insistent on giving you something a token "trade" of some sort. Lovely quilt, I am sure whatever you decide she will love it.

I feel as everyone else, if it
s your Husbands grandmother I say no charge, for thats family..
Thats what I would do if it was me anyways..

Beautiful quilt and I know you spent a lot of time on just making the top. Hard decision to be made, but you'll know what's right and fair when the time comes.
Good luck.

Is this something she wants for herself or is it something that she wants to buy for a gift for someone?

She did offer to pay, "Just let me know how much you want."

I have talked to someone who says their aunt used to make quilts, and charged everyone alike. Even family.

So, that's where the dilemma lies...

Hubby said, materials + some for time. Maybe not x3, but maybe x2. They also know hubby's losing his job soon... so maybe it's their way of "trading" or "gifting". I'm not sure, though.

Me I would give as a gift.

I think it's okay to charge Grandma - especially if she offered to pay first - but I do think you need to talk to her about how much stuff costs now - I know I said this before - because she might be still thinking fabric costs $1.00 a yard - - - I don't know either of you, so - - -

I think a lot depends on the financial circumstances of you and Grandma.
If Grandma is quite well off, and you are hurting, this may be her way of getting something she would like for herself and helping you out, too.

I agree with all of you, gift if you can, nominal charge if she really insists. That is a beautiful top, Happy quilting.... :-)

Does Grandma have a favorite family recipe? If so, you could trade her the quilt, for a lesson in cooking, probably with some family history thrown in.

It would make her feel special, and appreciated, and would give her a chance to pass on what she knows to a whole new generation. Two smiles for the price of one!

Since they know he is losing his job soon it could be her way of helping out. Ask her what she feels is a fair price after you tell her how much it has cost you to make it.

That would be a great way to handle it. Good thinking Henry.

This is something I hadn't thought about with my first reply :roll: If its a gift for someone else than I agree with Henry , tell her how much you have in it just for the fabric, thread, and other items. Then ask her what she thinks is fair ?

I'd say give the quilt as a gift. If she insists on charging, or if you need the money, then charge her the amount for just the supplies. If she's like my grandma, she'll pay you that price, plus whatever extra she wants to throw in.

I feel uncomfortable charging money to family for most things. In our family, we are constantly helping out one another. I could charge my brother for the baptism dress I just made his daughter, but then how much would he charge me for a day of labor moving all my boxes when we came from CA? What price can you put on the time, energy, and love that family puts into each of our lives?

No one has answered the actual "relationship" between the maker and her grandmother-in-law.

Just because someone happens to have a blood tie to one, doesn't make that person near and dear.

I think it is fair to charge for materials/out of pocket expenses -

I paid my son for remodeling work - not as much as he would have gotten from others - but roughly I paid him about two hours of my salary for one hour of his work at the time. Plus the cost of materials. And he was learning at the time.

I too sale many of my handmade items at craft/fair/art shows. I always follow the basic rule of materials x3 and have many return customers because of the fair price on quality merchandise.
Then for my family members they have all received things that I have made for them as gifts, never asking for payment. In our family it is understood that it comes back with time to the one that original made it. As in many families, we all give to each other when the needs arise.
But I will add this in, one of my quilts was priced as I mentioned at materials x3 and the customer was so taken with it that she actually paid me twice the amount that I was asking and told me I don't charge enough for all I do with my quilts. That alone was payment enough for me. It's so special when quality is recognized. So ladies & gentlemen if you take pride in your work and it shows there are those out there that do appreciate it.
I say the "borrow" arrangement is the way to go with grandma's quilt. Be sure to label it properly, so in time it will be returned to you.

This is a BEAUTIFUL quilt already and add to this your hand quilting! It is going to be a work of art. I would have a hard time giving this one away, yet Grandma would probably not be able to pay what it will truly be worth. I like the idea of 'lending' it to her. I gave my MIL a quilt with the hand prints of everyone in her immediate family and asked that one day when she's enjoyed it for many years, that it come back to my husband. She agreed and brings it out at each family reunion. She tells everyone it's "David's Quilt", so no one gets any ideas. :-)

there's no formula here. you have to decide how/what/if you want to charge her. do you want to give it as a gift? does she really think you'll charge her anything, or is she expecting you to offer it? what kind of relationship do you have with her? if you want to give it but can't afford to right now and you have a good relationship with her, ask her if she can cover the cost of the materials used. if she's a good person, she'll at least do that.

personally, i think that what you charge an outsider depends more on the hours of labor than the cost of materials. if you do a whole-cloth quilt, would you charge for cost of materials? you'd be cheating yourself. you made an intricate, time-consuming quilt that will now be handquilted and the worth of your hours of labor will far exceed your costs for materials, unless you're working for $1 an hour. what does a salesgirl make an hour in your area? are you willing to earn less for what you do? and she gets benefits.

and yes. it's worth $600.00.

fair :thumbup:

another thought -
does she want this for herself or to give someone else as a gift?

if it's for herself, by all means, it should come back to you eventually, whatever you agree to now.

when my mother died, my sister and i each got the gifts we had given her.
there were also things she 'ordered' from each of us, and those also came back. they were either given or made with love, and she would have wanted us to have them back. in my case, those things have been shared by my own children who loved her, and now have keepsakes.

I love this idea. You could even make a nice label stating such information.

If she would just like one of your quilts. I would give it as a gift, unless she is wanting it to give to someone else. But everyone is different. I have never charged a family member especially if I know they will cherish it.

You have lots of good advice here to think about, the only thing I would say that I think bears repeating is - the cost of materials is nothing compared to the time your hand quilting will require. Unless you are a lot speedier than I am, I'm sure you are, it's going to take you a year or so to do just the quilting. Depending of course how detailed you get with your quilting. To me that is where the pricelessness comes to play.

I saw the same pattern done in Amish Country yesterday. They had $1200 on it.

I really have no idea how to price anything.

Lynette

My mother is 88 years old. About 2 years ago I took her to the fabric store with me and she about had a tizzy fit...she thought fabric was still about 3 or 4 yards for $1.00! Grandma needs to know the real, NOW cost of the materials and a discussion needs to happen about whether she really wants to spend that much on the quilt. She may think a fair price is $50!